Old Flames
by SniperCT
Summary: Lara Croft and Sam Nishimura are taking a day to relax before embarking on their expedition to find Yamatai, when they run into an old flame of Lara's. So very AU. Based on a prompt! One-shot but leaving it open to revisit later.


I haven't see that head of wavey brown hair in three years. It brings back a flood of memories, most of them pleasant, and I squeeze Sam's hand a little too hard. She's not someone I expected to see on a Japanese beach of all places and when she notices me a moment later I feel my stomach do some flips.

Kate Pryde is brilliant. The smartest person I've ever met, but stubborn and temperamental. A little arrogant but then I can get that way in my field too. She'd been in London on a student exchange and we'd hit it off pretty well. A passionate relationship that had nearly burned us both out.

That doesn't explain why seeing the exceedingly attractive red-head on her arm makes me feel _jealous_. And if I'm feeling jealous then Sam must be seeing green. I feel her tense at my side. She and Kitty had gotten along but I know Sam had nursed a crush on me the whole time. It's hard not to resent someone for having someone you wanted, even when you liked that person.

Any hopes of avoiding them are dashed when Kate drags her friend over. "Lara! Sam! Hey! This is crazy. What are you guys doing in Japan?"

"We're-"

"On our honeymoon," Sam interjects, putting her arm around me and digging her fingers painfully into my hip. Turning, I stare at her with my mouth hanging open in abject horror. I elbow her.

"She's _joking_. Roth has an expedition and I'm assisting the head archaeologist. Sam is handling the cameras." And my arse apparently, but I'm not going to swat at her hand in front of _Kitty_. At least we hope to have an expedition. With Reyes and Alex bowing out I'm not so sure anymore.

"That sounds really cool." Kate gestures at her friend. "Rachel, Lara and Sam."

Rachel has short red hair, and I can't help but notice her body type isn't much different from mine, especially in the white swimsuit she's wearing. She's certainly less modest than I am. My suit is one-piece. I hold out my hand to be polite and Rachel's eyes gleam with amusement as she shakes it. It feels like something tickles at the back of my mind and I puzzle over that.

"Kate has talked a lot about you. Mostly good things."

"Mostly?" The brunette rolls her eyes and leans against Rachel. "I'll have you know I only relayed the really _good_ stories."

"Like the time you screwed Kate through the wall."

She'd been almost as shy as I was when we'd first met. She'd gone by Kitty then, but I always called her Kate. It seems like she's adopted that, which I feel smug about. And she's a lot more open and bold too, which makes me happy.

"Most of them are probably true," I concede. I wonder if Rachel is a mutant like Kitty is too. "And that one was _not_ my fault."

Kate's brown eyes bounce between Sam and I and her grin is toothy. "So you're not here on your honeymoon but you're hooked up? Tell me you're hooked up."

Sam's arm threads around my waist possessively, but the tension ebbs out of her. Kate just seems so happy and not a threat that I suppose she's willing to trust me. "She confessed first year at Uni. Caught me off guard actually."

I can hear it coming before Kate even opens up her mouth. "Finally!" She turns to Rachel and says, "So we got into this fight and I accused her of having a thing for Sam, and she denied it and she denied it and then she didn't deny it. And I told her she needed to do something about it."

"Pryde, you were still an emotional mess when we met." Rachel put her arm around Kate and kissed the side of her head. Sam is staring at me with a mixture of amusement and irritation.

"It wasn't like I wasn't broken up about it either." I don't know if I feel better or not knowing that she was as messed up about it as I had been. Kate looks at Rachel, her expression softening. It's the same look I give Sam. Whatever else we're with the people we belong with. "But I think things worked out in the end, didn't they."

"You still into computers, Kitty?" Sam lets go of me and bounces on her heels. I give her a worried look, suspecting what she's planning and hoping it's not what I think it is.

"Yeah. I just finished up an advanced engineering course."

Sam's face lights up. "We just lost a couple crew members. We need an engineer and someone who can handle engines!"

"Sam...We're trying to celebrate our last day before the expedition, not recruit people for the _Endurance_…"

She smirks at me, and steps next to Kate. The younger girl laughs. "I've got nothing planned for the next few months."

"Funny, I'm handy with mechanics," Rachel adds. _Among other things._ Her voice in my head surprises me, though I suppose it shouldn't have. Mutants were generally more accepted in the UK than the US so they didn't hide as much.

_Please don't do that. I'm a private person._

Rachel nods her head at me and I smile at her. At least that is settled. "All right! All right. I see I'm out numbered. I'll call Roth and you can explain to him why you decided to hire two people we randomly met at the beach."

I glance back over at the other two women and they look so excited at the prospect as they whisper to each other that it infects me too. I don't really need much help in being excited. Who knows what we'll find, and doing so while repairing an old friendship is even better.

"Sweetie, you're the best. Adventure awaits!"

"I do love a good adventure," Kitty remarks. I'm reminded of how breakneck that woman liked to live her life and smile to myself. Archaeology is a lot more boring than she's counting on.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: In this universe, mutants and superheroes are a less prevalent thing than they are in most Marvel Earths. The X-men never existed here, but many of the threats that would have needed them don't exist either.<strong>


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